Vor-Tek Marine Technologies will make algae blooms and oil spills a thing of the past

Vor-Tek Marine Technologies and Lauderdale Diver announced today the launch of their new recovery and cleanup technologies. Born from the X-Prize Foundation, Vor-Tek Marine Technologies allows for rapid, deployable, and highly efficient methods of capturing and removing marine pollutants from the ocean’s surface and below with their patented system called the Emergency Extraction Line or the E.E.L.

“We are excited to bring Vor-Tek to South Florida and be part of the advancement of new technologies for the protection of the ocean and help solve our algae bloom problem,” said Ashley Day, CEO of Vor-Tek. “This year’s red tide highlighted the need for new technologies and recovery capabilities to be available for rapid and efficient deployment in all locations where pollutants enter our oceans, beaches, harbors, and waterways. The entire marine industry should be mobilizing to help to improve the environmental safety standards that should be the norm for ocean protection; as marine environments are essential to our modern lives.”

Vor-Tek Marine Technologies began operations in 2010, and is now headquartered in Fort Lauderdale as an environmental technology company. It was founded for the purpose of creating groundbreaking environmental innovation for a cleaner planet. Vor-Tek Marine Technologies embodies the passion and determination of individuals from different backgrounds with the mutual goal of cleaning our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams from algae blooms, marine plastics, oil spills, and land-based pollutants which continually enter our marine environments destroying our ecosystem.

The issue of the Pacific Trash Vortex has been particularly important to us and has, itself, become a launching pad for a number of ideas and innovations targeting marine pollution such as our patented Emergency Extraction Line System (E.E.L.) which focuses on different pollutant extractions from marine environments. The E.E.L. is a patented technology, and is the first reliable and scalable solution for maritime oil and waste cleanup; not only at the surface but at variable depths below the surface. This is particularly important, as petroleum products and algae blooms tend to suspend just below the surface after a period of time, making the majority of technologies ineffective for any type of capture or cleanup process.

While working on prototypes for an innovative passive collection device intended as a solution to remove some of the plastic in the North Pacific Gyre, Mr. Day was asked if the device could collect oil. Since the device is intended to collect many types of debris, including algae blooms, it only took a few modifications to update the functionality of the device to include large scale, high volume collection of pollutants in open water scenarios. Mr. Day is also the Vice President of TAV Holdings Inc., based out of Atlanta, Ga, with 20 years of experience in developing and providing sustainable technological solutions to the largest metals recycling and materials recovery operations in the world.

In 2010, Vor-Tek Recovery Solutions LLC, also known as “Team Vor-Tek”, and as shown in the documentary “Spillbusters”, entered into a worldwide X-prize Challenge for oil spill recovery technologies. Out of 15 different countries and over 400 applicants from some of the world’s largest oil spill companies, Vor-Tek was chosen as a top finalist with results that shattered the world record for gallons collected per minute at the highest efficiency rate of oil pollutant vs water ratios. This gained notoriety for Vor-Tek; as it pushed technological advancements in the spill/pollutant recovery sector by setting the bar for what’s currently possible from an industry that is plagued with antiquated technologies and approaches to disaster scenarios.

The primary purpose of the E.E.L. system, which is capable of surrounding large areas of water, is to extract pollutants/water mixtures into boats or barges for further separation or destruction. It functions, not only as a containment boom/barrier, but also as an effective integrated extraction line capable of removing contaminants from water for processing through specialized separation systems.

The E.E.L. system primarily can be described as a segmented boom that doubles as a high efficiency induction line capable of trapping and siphoning hazardous waste from surface and subsurface water. The system works in concert with the most current state of the art pumps and the latest pollutant/water separators current technology have to offer. For any effective cleanup technology, speed of deployment is the BIG factor. The E.E.L. system can be situated on any vessel, rig, or dock as an immediate pre-emptive solution. The E.E.L. system is not only rapidly deployable in any emergency spill situation, but it can also be available as a fitted system for offshore rigs to be made active at the first signs of a leakage event. This brings the E.E.L. system into the market of industrial preventive maintenance as well as industrial emergency response methods that currently are outdated and ineffective. We have proven that we can solve many of the issues inherent in other technologies such as high-volume extraction, subsurface capabilities, durability, and adaptability to all environments. There is no existing solution to effectively clean oil and waste below the water’s surface. There have been no significant new developments in cleanup technologies for over 40 years.

ABOUT LAUDERDALE DIVER

Since 1978, Lauderdale Diver has built a reputation of trust and reliability with both our local and global clientele due to our exceptional customer service. Lauderdale Diver is a market leader that specializes in the service, sales, and marketing of dive equipment, dive instruction, yachting products and toys. We are the leading ocean exploration outfitter renowned for providing yachts, owners, and enthusiasts alike with one source for all their underwater excursion requirements. What sets Lauderdale Diver apart is our distinct dimension of total service to the yachting lifestyle. We are different by design, and it is our core qualities that separate Lauderdale Diver in the yachting industry. Our true advantage is in the expertise of our team committed to providing you with the highest quality of service.

ABOUT VOR-TEK MARINE TECHNOLOGIES

Vor-Tek Marine Technologies embodies the passion and determination of individuals from different backgrounds with the mutual goals of cleaning our marine environments from toxic pollutants, as well as providing sustainable cleanup solutions for the world’s harbors, marinas, rivers, and waterways. Our team is in constant pursuit of creating technological solutions for the recovery and remediation of marine debris pollutants with the sole intent of creating groundbreaking environmental innovations for a cleaner planet.

We offer all levels of diver training and a comprehensive range of diving equipment and service support. Since 1978, Lauderdale Diver has built a reputation of trust and reliability with both our local and global clientele due to our exceptional customer service.